This site is the blogging component for my main site Crank Astronomy (formerly "Dealing with Creationism in Astronomy"). It will provide a more interactive component for discussion of the main site content. I will also use this blog to comment on work in progress for the main site, news events, and other pseudoscience-related issues.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

As I continue to assemble several posts into a form suitable for public consumption, I thought I'd pass the time presenting a list of the books I've read over the past year. The ISBN number links to the book page on Amazon.com.

The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great Economic Thinkersby Robert L. Heilbroner. 1999, ISBN: 068486214XExcellent history of economic theory.A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy by Hugh Ross. 2004, ISBN: 1-57683-375-5I might write a review on this. My first extensive reading of Old-Earth Creationism.Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. 1996, ISBN: 0684833395A book I should have read in high school, but didn't.The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte. 2001, ISBN: 0961392142How to present your data in accurate and enlightening ways.Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte. 1990, ISBN: 0961392118Even more ways to present your dataHitler's Scientists: Science, War, and the Devil's Pact by John Cornwell. 2004, ISBN: 0-14-200480-4An interesting history of science and technology under the Nazis.E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis.2001, ISBN: 0425181642An enjoyable history of physics over the past several hundred years.A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists by Richard Hayes, Daniel Grossman. 2006, ISBN: 0813538580Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter. 1999, ISBN: 0-465-02656-7This was a selection from my book club. I was really useful to go through this with a room full physicists, astronomers and computer scientists. It is a heavy-duty read much more enjoyable and enlightening in a group.Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen" in Debate: Historical Essays and Documents on the 1941 Meeting Between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg by Matthias Dörries. 2005, ISBN: 0967261724Valuable for covering some issues not covered by Michael Frayn's play.The Copenhagen Papers: An Intrigue by Michael Frayn, David Burke. 2001, ISBN: 0805067523My comments: Not really relevant to the play. Why was this even written?Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. 2004, ISBN: 1882968271Very enjoyable novel recommended by coworkers.City by Clifford D. Simak. 2004, ISBN: 188296828XDidn't enjoy it as much as Way Station.The Mind of the Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics by Michael Shermer. 2007, ISBN: 0805078320A fascinating look at experimental psychology in economics and society.Anvil of the Stars by Greg Bear. 1993, ISBN: 0-446-36403-7

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About Me

I obtained my doctorate in physics and astronomy in 1994. I currently work in scientific data visualization for the media and public outreach. For more information on how I became involved in the creationism issue, visit my main page